By By Juliane Judilla
ILOILO CITY – Journalists from various media organizations and sectoral groups gathered for a candle-lighting activity at Graciano Lopez Jaena Park, Iloilo City, to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre on November 23.
Led by community journalists from Altermidya-Panay, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Iloilo Chapter, along with campus journalists from the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)-Panay, the groups called for justice for the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre, which killed 58 people—including 32 media workers who were buried in mass graves on November 23, 2009—in what is deemed the single deadliest attack on journalists in history.
NUJP Iloilo chairperson Rjay Zuriaga Castor said the activity aims to honor the courage of the fallen media workers and to continue calling for justice that remains elusive for the victims’ families.
“Justice remains incomplete. Many suspects remain at large, appeals continue to drag on, witnesses’ intimidation persists, and families of the victims have yet to receive the compensation ordered by the court,” he said.
“We cannot allow the passage of time to dilute our rage or dim our memory. The culture of impunity that allowed the Ampatuan Massacre to happen still lingers in the shadows of our democracy,” he added.
CEGP Panay spokesperson Symon Vacunawa asserted that such attacks on the press remain rampant.
“Sa subong nga adlaw, indi naton pagkalimtan ang mga napatay sa Ampatuan [Massacre]. Aton dumdumon ang mga kaso sang gin kwaan sang kinamatarong kag gin harass nga mga journalists,” Vacunawa stated.
“While the country continues to boast of its freedom of speech, journalists continue to be targeted for their work,” he added.
The commemoration also served as a reminder that the culture of impunity against journalists remains in the Philippines, as seen in violent acts, physical and legal threats, censorship by the state and big business, and red-tagging, among others.
The groups also called for the immediate release of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist in Tacloban who was arrested during a police raid in February 2020. Cumpio, along with four development workers, was charged with trumped-up cases of illegal possession of firearms and financing terrorism.
THE LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE
On December 19, 2019, a Quezon City court convicted Datu Andal Jr., Zaldy, and Anwar Sr. Ampatuan, along with 25 others, of 57 counts of murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment without parole.
Appeals have been filed by some of the convicted parties, and the legal proceedings continue to this day.
Prior to the massacre’s 16th anniversary, the family of photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay—considered the 58th victim despite his body never being found—requested the Court of Appeals to officially recognize him as a victim and require the suspects to pay damages.
In 2025 alone, four journalists were killed: Johnny Dayang, Ali Macalintal, Erwin Segovia, and Noel Bellen Samar./PT
